Hello! I feel like I barely know how to blog anymore, but I am here with a delicious baked brown rice pilaf that I have been making for meal prep lately. This pilaf is flavored with pistachios and herbs and a touch of onion and garlic. It’s super delicious!

Baking the brown rice in the oven is perfect because while it bakes, your attention and stove are freed up for making an accompanying dish. I have been pairing it with Moroccan flavors, like my Moroccan vegetable stew, as well as a chickpea stew that I will [try to] post soon.

Definitions of pilaf vary, but one thing they all have in common is that they’re made of a grain that’s cooked with other flavoring agents. Those might be vegetables, spices, broth, or other grains. Basically it’s like making a side dish of rice, but the rice is elevated beyond just plain rice!

Continue reading Garlic Herb Oven Baked Brown Rice Pilaf at Yup, it's Vegan for the full recipe.

My living situation changed during the pandemic and since then it’s been difficult finding time and space for preparing and photographing blog recipes due to my current shared kitchen/pantry/fridge.

That being said, the actual main reason I haven’t been focusing on the blog, is that I decided to push myself to compete at a more elite level in ultramarathons, something I’ve been thinking about for a while. Unexpectedly becoming a remote worker gave me the flexibility I needed to take the plunge. It’s been an incredible outlet for the excess of energy that I suffer from as a person. It’s also incredibly time-consuming!

Continue reading Quick life update! at Yup, it's Vegan for the full recipe.

I’ve seen a lot of wacky recipes for vegan deviled eggs that turn almond milk into Jello using some kind of black witchcraft, and then use that as the “egg white”, and I can’t for the life of me understand why we’re doing that when potatoes have been here all along. Deviled potatoes are like the edgy plant-based cousin of deviled eggs, and we are inhaling them around here.

In case you’re still wondering WTF you’re looking at, deviled potatoes are small roasted potatoes that have been sliced in half. Most of the inside is scooped out, mashed, and mixed with some herbs and mayonnaise (vegan of course, if applicable to you), and a few other ingredients for flavor. It’s then spooned or piped back into the potato shells and dusted with paprika to make the little morsels you see pictured here.

Fair warning: you should probably make a double batch, because deviled potatoes are a lot of work.

Continue reading Deviled Potatoes at Yup, it's Vegan for the full recipe.

Turnips have always been one of my favorite vegetables, but sometimes I’m stumped on how to pair them with other ingredients. This root vegetable soup was a game changer. It’s thick and hearty, with a chowder like texture, all thanks to the silky smooth amazingness of vegetables.

I love a good roasted root vegetable, but this soup is even simpler than that. Just sweat some onions and garlic in olive oil, add a few spices, and then simmer it with root vegetables and broth. In this case, the veggies I recommend are parsnip, turnip, and carrot – in about equal quantities. You can mix and match other vegetables too – I’ve swapped in celeriac before, for example – but be sure to use at least one sweeter veggie like carrot or sweet potato to keep the flavors balanced.

Turnips and cauliflower are both cruciferous vegetables, which means that (1) they’re super nutritious but also (2) they have sharp, peppery and slightly sulfuric notes.

Continue reading Hearty Root Vegetable Soup at Yup, it's Vegan for the full recipe.

These apricot glazed green beans are made with just a handful of ingredients, creating a quick and tasty green bean side dish.

Green beans almondine is a classic French dish that tastes amazing, but I wanted to make a vegan and more lazy/weeknight version with less chopping. You know me, some days I just can’t be bothered to deal with onion and garlic. It comes in waves.

My solution to adding complementary flavor to green beans, with some complexity but less hassle, was to toast some sliced almonds right in the skillet alongside the vegetables, and then dollop in some apricot preserves (perhaps leftover from making a glazed tofu roast?). The flavor trifecta created by this method is surprisingly nice, and the apricot preserves cling the almonds to the green beans so it’s easy to eat it all together.

Be sure to use an apricot spread that is actually made of apricot.

Continue reading Apricot Glazed Green Beans with Toasted Almonds at Yup, it's Vegan for the full recipe.